Causalties
by Silver345
Summary: "Cobb had said that the Fischer job was the perfect end all to his career, the most difficult he had ever faced. So, why, just why, had everyone else seemed to calm, so casual about it!" AxA Oneshot


So I just discovered that this community was a thing and I just watched to movie recently sooooo...

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It was stunning really. They were conducting a life or death mission, they needed impeccable timing, and stealth was of the utmost importance. And yet, each and every one of them seemed to have gone through this so casually. Perhaps it was just that she was new to this, but, hadn't it been a dangerous job? Cobb had said that the Fischer job was the perfect end all to his career, the most difficult he had ever faced. So, why, just why, had everyone else seemed to calm, so _casual_ about it?!

She could understand Eames being like that, it was just his nature. He was a joker, an actor, he wasn't meant to be taken seriously. Yet, she almost burst out laughing when he casually told Arthur that he "mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger" and suddenly pulled a grenade launcher on Fischer's subconscious. And that was all. The problem of the sniper was handled with the satisfying crash of an explosion and Arthur merely shrugged before shutting the door.

She never saw it coming, Saito being so offhanded about things. It _was_ his company that was on the line; they could never compete if Maurice Fischer's company continued on its path. But there he was, throwing out the fact that he had bought out an airline for convenience as if he was mentioning what he had eaten for lunch that day. After the initial shock, the rest of them passed over this quickly, merely checking it off of their list of things to prepare, but her shock passed slowly as she trailed along behind them. She was really tempted to ask, something along the lines of "Really? He just bought an airline and we're just going to nod and move on?" but even though she knew it was a valid question she somehow felt like she would be silly if she asked.

Ariadne had always been rather reserved about her feelings, she was always young for her grade since she had been so advanced for her age, and she had generally stayed away from dating because she always felt so uncomfortable about it. So when Arthur leaned over and said, "Quick, give me a kiss" she really hadn't understood how he could be so casual about it. She had turned her head to look at him and suddenly his lips were on hers. The kiss was innocent, but it still flushed her pale cheeks with the red of a blush. She looked around, embarrassed to see that the projections hadn't stopped looking at them even though she knew that they of course wouldn't have the understanding to look away for the sake of her embarrassment.

"Worth a shot," she had heard from behind her and when she turned, he was getting up with a small smirk plastered to his face. _How could he do that?_ she wondered, but she couldn't stop the hint of a giddy smile that forced its way onto her face.

So here she sat, a few days later, at a small outdoor table in a cafe in Paris, pondering the strange casualness of her now-colleagues. She stared down at the sketch of a building's infrastructure in front of her, adding or darkening a few lines here and there, though she wasn't really thinking about it. With her cut of the payout, she no longer had to juggle her student loans and she now had a nice off campus flat all to herself, she didn't really have any college friends anyway. She took a small sip of her steaming coffee when a quiet voice broke her thoughts.

"Thats really very good." She looked up with wide eyes at the familiar voice. She feels like she should be wrong, but there he is, the well dressed point man looking down at her with the hint of a smile on his face.

"So much for waiting to contact each other," she said, smiling as he took the seat across from her.

"Well when it comes to people like us, it doesn't really matter what is 'allowed' per say." Arthur picked at the cuffs of his sleeves that he had rolled up to his elbows and tugged at his vest momentarily before relaxing into his seat. She was amazed by this little act; he still hadn't dropped his casual air even though he still seemed so very professional. Ariadne clicked her pen and put it down before turning her full attention to the man sitting across from her.

"I guess not. I thought you would be back in the states by now?" she said, rubbing the end of her scarf between her fingers. The point man shrugged, only raising his shoulders a fraction just like the corners of his lips.

"There's not much there in the states for me. There wasn't really a rush either, Saito cleared up everything on my record so it's not as if I'm running from anyone anymore." She nodded in understanding. Something else Saito had just _casually_ done for them. Anything that any of them might be charged for was permanently buried or conveniently lost.

"Well its not as if there's anything for you here either. Why Paris of all places?" She thought for a moment and her smile grew. "I mean, I know Eames went back to Mombasa so Africa is out of the question, but that doesn't limit your options too much." Arthur chuckled and the deep rumble made something flutter in her stomach, but why that was, she didn't know.

"No, I'm not just here to avoid Eames, though it's a very valid reason. Actually, I met someone, I'm actually rather intrigued by her." Ariadne felt a vague sense of disappointment, but she shook it off quickly. She had no reason to believe that he would stay just to visit with her, but part of her had hoped that he would.

"Oh. Anyone I would know?"

"I think you might. She's from work, you know her, the girl who wears scarves all the time. She's sitting right in front of me if that helps. I'd like to get to know her more, I think." Her eyes widened and she almost choked on her drink for a moment. There it was again, that offhandedness. He said it so… so _casually_! He smiled at the waitress as she brought his coffee to the table before meeting her wide eyes again, the amusement in his eyes obvious to her now. She started laughing out of embarrassment as her face reddened. A bit too loudly to be acceptable, but she couldn't stop and she had absolutely no idea how else to respond. She looked around and people at other tables had begun to look over to see what could possibly be so funny. Arthur's low chuckle joined hers and she looked over at the man who had just put his intentions out in plain sight like it was something he was used to, and maybe he was, but Ariadne was completely out of her element. She finally stopped laughing and adverted her eyes from the man in front of her.

"I… were you? …you wouldn't happen to be joking would you?" She felt the warmth rush to her face and hoped her face wasn't as red as her scarf. He shook his head lightly, his amusement with the situation making her more embarrassed.

"Afraid not. She's the most interesting girl I've met in a while." She looked around to see the people at other tables taking quick glances at her and muttering things to the people next to them. The point man, being the clever thinker he was, followed her eyes and immediately regained his serious composure.

"Quick, give me a kiss." She barely had time to turn her head before his lips were on hers, for the second time that week. Though she was shocked, she couldn't help but melt into the kiss and just as quickly as it had come, Arthur drew away from her, that same smug look on his face that had been there in a dream three days prior.

"At least people in the real world have the decency to look away when someone decides to steal a kiss." Ariadne broke from her blissful trance and looked around to see that the rest of the patrons had suddenly become extremely focused on their drinks. She giggled slightly and looked back at the dark haired man who shot her a grin.

"I was going to go for a walk, care to join me?"

"Yes, I'd like that."

 _Perhaps I can get used to this kind of casualness._

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So yeah, no actual casualties. I just thought it would be a fun title to scare some people. ^_^ The ever so casual way that people in this movie handle things has always been something I've found funny so it makes sense that I would write something about it. Hope you liked it!


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